Washing-machine.



Patented July l, |902.

.1. .F.-Gonbom WASHINGMAGHINE. Application med .my 13, xpx.)

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Patented July I, i902.-

J, P. GORDON. WASHING MACHINE.

(Application led July 13, 1901.)

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(No Model.)

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UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JAMES P. GORDON, OF FLORENCE, COLORADO.

WASHING- MACHINE.

SPECIFICATION forming pai-t of' jrepiten-,1Iaimz 'No. voaela dated July 1, 1902.

Application iiled.`fl'11lyv 13, 1901.

.T0 [LZZ 1071/0777, t may concern:

Beit known that I, J AMEsP. GORDON, a citi-f zen of the United States, residing at Florence,

in the county of Fremontand State of' Colorado, have inventeda new and useful /Vashing-Machine, of which the followin gis a specication.

This invention relates to Vwasliingmachines, and has for its objectl to provide a machine which will in an expeditiou'sand thoroughly eifective manner cleanse clothes or other articles to be washed without in the least damaging them. v

An important feature'of the present invention is that the clothes or other' articles in being washed are not subjected to any rubbing action, but merely to a squeezing or compressing action, which operates to force the water and sudsthrou gh the clothes, and thereby rapidly remove the dirt therefrom.

One object of the invention is to provide means for holding a large number of small articles in positive contact with relation to the washing-cylinder during the operation of being washed, vthereby to'insure thorough cleansing of each article and to facilitate removal of the clothes in bulkwhen properly A further Objectis to provide for the ready association with thewashing-cylinder of the clothes-holding means and for the disconnection of such means from the'cylinder when desired. n

With these and other objects in View, as will appear as the nature of the inventiorfis better understood, the same consists of the novel construction and combination of parts of a washing-machine, as will be hereinafter fully described and claimed.

In the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specication, and in which like numerals of reference indicate corresponding parts, I have illustrated a form of embodiment of my invention capable of carrying my ideas into effect, itjbeing understood that the manner of construction andarrangement of parts' shown may be lvariedor changed without departing from the spirit of the invention, and in these drawings- Figure 1 is a view in perspective, exhibiting a washing-machine constructed in accordance with my invention, the upper section serial No. 68,175.- (Nt moat-.1

-ofrtne'washing-cynnder being thrown back to a'position it will occupy when the washing- Lcylinder is tobe removed. Fig. 2 is a View in transverse section. Fig. 3 is a view in longitudinal'section. ,Fi'g.-4 is a perspective detail view of a clothes-holder in the nature of a net bag in which'small articles, such as napkins, handkerchiefs, and childrens clothes, are'conned while undergoing the process of washing. Fig. 5 is a fragmentary detail 'View Vshowing the catch for holding the sections VLof the washing-cylinder closed. y Referring to Vvthe drawings, l designates a .semicylindrical casing constituting a tub which may be constructed of any suitable material, preferably of sheet metal. The tub is supported upon a" frame comprising two sid'e pieces 2, two end pieces 3, and supportinglegs 4, secured to the end pieces, the side and end pieces being held assembled in this inL stance by tie-rods 5 passing through the end rpieces and held associated therewith by nuts 6. The tub has its ends closed by heads 7 and is connected with the side pieces by having the upper portions of its sides outturned, as at 8, and secured to the side pieces by screws or nails 9. The tub is provided with Ia detachable cover 10, which operates to prevent splashing out of water when the machine is in operation, and also with a faucet 1l, by ywhichthe tub may be emptied when desired.

vVorking within 'the tub is the washing-cylinder ll2, comprising two heads or disks 13, yconnected by a plurality of rungs 14, these by preference being circular in cross-section. Each head comprises two sections hinged together, as at 15, in such manner as to permit the upper section to be thrown back to the position shown `in Fig. 1, thereby to permit removal of the clothes-cylinder 16, suitable spring-catchesr17, carried by the upper sections of the heads' and engaging locking proj ections 18 on the lower sections of the heads, serving to hold the two sections iirmly assembled.

The clothes-cylinder 16 is composed of two disks or heads 19,. connected bygrungs 20, these rungs being also preferablycircular in cross-section and 'to' be spaced apart a sufficient distanceto'perrnit passage of water and suds between them, the clothes-cylinder being a cage-like structure adapted to roll Within the washing-cylinder and by its weight, added to that of the clothes which it carries, to effect squeezing or.. compressing of the clothes, thereby to effect proper cleansing. The clothes-cylinder is devoid of supportingbearings of any character, the effective operation of the device being secured by having the clothes-cylinder, as stated, to roll withiny and with the washing-cylinder, and: thereby effect washing of the clothes without exerting a scrubbing or rubbing action on the clothes, but merely a squeezing and compressing action, with .projection through the clothes of the suds and water. It will be apparent that where the clothes are merely subjected to rolling or squeezing action there can be no damage done them under the operation of the machine, so that fabrics of the most delicate character may loe-washed without being torn or without having the buttons detached therefrom. As will be observed by reference to Fig. 2, the rungs of the washing-cylinder are more closely assembled than those of the clothes-cylinder, the object of this arrangement being to present an effective washingsurface upon which the clothes may be pressed, while the space between the rungs of the clothes-cylinder will permit free circulation of water through the clothes and the cylinder.

The `washing-cylinder is supported Within the tub by stud-shafts 2l and 22, each comprising a journal, and a plate 23, bolted or otherwise secured to the lower sections of the heads 13, the journals to work in bearings formed in the end pieces 3 of the tub-supporting frame. The stud 22 projects beyond the end piece in which it works and carries a pulley .24, to be connected with any suitable -source of power through a belt or the like,

and as this will be well understood illustration is deemed unnecessary. The form of machine herein exhibited is intended more particularly for laundry purposes where large bulks of clothes are washed at one time, and for that reason the washing-cylinder is shown as driven by power through the pulley 24; but it is to be understood that the invention is adaptable to domestic purposes, to effect which the proportions of the parts will be suitably reduced in size and the stud 22 will be provided with a crank for rotating the washing-cylinder.

As a matter of further and specific improvement I employ in connection with the Washing-machine a clothes-holding bag 26 for containing small articles of wearing-apparel or the like to be washed. This clothes-holder is an open-work structure made of heavy netting, such as strong cord or the like. The bag is provided along its sides and edges with reinforcingstrips 27-such as fabric or the like--and back of one of its edges with suitable fastening means for holding the blank in bag-like form when folded. In this instance the means for holding the bag in folded position consists in providing one of the side-reinforcing strips with buttonholes 28, to be engaged by buttons 29, secured near the edge of the opposite side; but it is to be understood that the invention is not to be limited to the employment of buttons and buttonholes as a means for effecting the purposes designed, as any other suitable form of fastening device for the purpose may be employedl and still be within the scope o f my invention. The bag is provided with a means for engaging one ofthe rungs of the clothescylinder, and in this instance it consists of a plate 30, secured to one end of the bag, as by being stitched or otherwise secured thereto, the plate being provided with hooks or curved projections 3l to engage with one of the rungs of the clothes-cylinder.

When the device is to be employed for washing clothes, the hinge-section of the washingcylinder is thrown back to the position shown in Fig. l, after which the clothes-cylinder is removed from the washing-cylinder in any suitable way, as by means of a block and tackle. y (Not necessary to be shown.) The articles to be washed are then placed within the bag, and the hooks at the end of the bag are brought into engagement with one of the rungs of the clothes-cylinder and the bag Wrapped about the cylinder, after which the latter is lowered into place within the washing-cylinder. Water and soap in suitable quantities arc now supplied to the tub and the hinge-section of the washing-cylinder is closed and is held from opening by means of the catches 17, after which the cover-10 is placed on the tub. The washing-cylinder is now rotated at the desired rate of speed and in the direction that will cause the clothes-holding bag closely to hug the outer side of the clothescylinder, and as this latter cylinder will roll- IOO IIO

cylinder, thereby, as before pointed out, ef-

.cylinder and the clothes-cylinder, as before pointed out. When the wringing operation is completed, the cover 10 of the tub is removed, the top section of the washing-cylinder is thrown back, the clothes-cylinder lifted out of the washing-cylinder, and the bag containing the washed clothes is removed and dropped into the said top section. Another bag containing clothes is then attached to the washing-cylinder, as described, the latter is then lowered in place within the washingcylinder, and the operations described are again repeated. By employing a plurality of these clothes-holding bags there will be no time lost in eiecting washing, as while the contents of one bag is being washed another one will be filled with soiled clothes.

The advantage accruing from the employment of the clothes-holding bag herein described is that a great number of small articles may be washed at one time and be removed from the washing-cylinder at one operation, thereby saving time that is usually lost in taking out the loose articles separately. It is also further to be understood that the invention is not to be limited to the precise construction and arrangement of the parts of the Washing-machine herein shown nor to the precise construction and arrangement of the clothes-holding bag, as it will be obvious that the various parts of these elements may be varied or changed as may be found necessary in the practical operation of the device and still be Within the scope of my invention.

From the foregoingr it is thought that the construction, operation, and many advantages of the herein-described invention Will be apparent to those skilled in the art without further description, and it will be understood that various changes in the size, shape, proportion, and minor details of construction may be resorted to Without departing from the spirit or sacrificing any ofthe advantages of the invention.

Although I have shown the rungs of the washing-cylinder arranged at closer intervals than those of the clothes-cylinder, I also contemplate having the rungs of both cylinders arranged at equal intervals and comparatively close together.

WhatA I claim isl. In a washing-machine, the combination with a tub, of an open-work washing-cylinder rotatably mounted therein, an open-Work clothes-cylinder loosely supported upon the inner periphery of the washing-cylinder, and

an open-work clothes-containing bag to embrace the clothes-cylinder, and provided at one end with hooks for connection therewith.

2. In a washing-machine, the combination with a tub, of an openwork washing-cylinder rotatably mounted therein, an open-Work clothes-cylinder loosely supported upon the inner periphery of the washing-cylinder, and an open-work clothes-containingbag to snugly embrace the clothes-cylinder and formed from a sheet ot' netting, having opposite edges provided with mutually-cooperating fastening devices, and one of its other edges being provided with hooks for engagement with the open-work clothes-cylinder.

3. In a washing-machine, the combination with a tub, of an open-work washing-cylinder rotatably mounted therein, an open-work clothes-cylinder loosely supported upon the inner periphery of the washing-cylinder, and an open-work clothes-containing bag to snugly embrace the clothes-cylinder, and' formed from a sheet of nettinghaving its edges provided with marginal binding-strips, one of said strips being provided with buttonholes, buttons provided upon the opposite portion of the netting corresponding to the buttonholes, and a plate loosely connected to one of the other edges and provided with hooks for engagement with the open-work clothescylinder.

4. In a washing-machine, the combination with an open work clothes cylinder, ofa clothes-confining bag provided at one end with hooks to engage with the clothes-cylinder, the bag to be of a length to pass entirely around the cylinder and to overlap the hooks.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my own I have hereto afxed my signature in the presence of two witnesses.

JAMES P. GORDON.

Witnesses:

GEORGE P. NIX, J. N. BUGBEE. 

